scholarly journals THE NATURE OF COLICIN K FROM PROTEUS MIRABILIS

1970 ◽  
Vol 131 (5) ◽  
pp. 1016-1038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margeris A. Jesaitis

The colicinogenic factor K has been transferred from E. coli K 235 to Proteus mirabilis. The DNA of the colicinogenic Proteus has been shown to contain a small amount of a satellite DNA which presumably harbors the Col K factor. In the presence of mitomycin C the colicinogenic Proteus secretes colicin K into the growth medium. The bacteriocin has been purified by chromatography and obtained as an immunologically homogeneous substance unconjugated with other antigens of the Proteus bacillus. Proteus colicin K is a protein of relatively low molecular weight. It contains all of the usual amino acids except cysteine and is free of lipids and polysaccharides. The bacteriocin can be separated by electrofocusing into two major components. The latter have the same biological properties but differ in their specific electrical charges.

1993 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 1169-1174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Vaillancourt ◽  
Benoit Vanasse ◽  
Eric Cohen ◽  
Gilles Sauv

1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Casu ◽  
L Marchese ◽  
A Naggi ◽  
G Torri ◽  
J Fareed ◽  
...  

In order to investigate the influence of charge distribution and chain length on the biological properties of sulfated polysaccharides, additional sulfate groups were introduced into the galactosaminoglycans, chondriotin sulfate and dermatan sulfate. Using a flexible method (with sulfuric acid and chlorosulfonic acid) for concurrent sulfation and controlled depolymerization, numerous products were obtained and characterized by chemical, enzymatic and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic methods. The biologic actions of these products were profiled in both in vitro and in vivo assays for antithrombotic activity. Despite a weaker in vitro anticoagulant activity, low molecular weight over sulfated galactosaminoglycans produced significant dose-dependent antithrombotic actions in animal models which were similar to the actions observed with oversulfated low molecular weight heparins. These results suggest that a significant antithrombotic activity can be elicited through non-specific interactions of polysulfates with cellular and plasma components, and that clusters of sulfate groups such as the 4-6 disulfate group on D-galactosaminoglycan residues may be important for these interactions. Furthermore, these results, also suggest that supersulfation of glycosaminogly-cans results in products with biologic activity distinct from the native material.


1954 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 400-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. O. Burton ◽  
F. J. Sowden ◽  
A. G. Lochhead

A procedure is described for the production and concentration of the 'terregens factor' (TF), a bacterial growth promoting substance synthesized by Arthrobacter pascens and essential for the growth of Arthrobacter terregens. From culture filtrates of A. pascens cultivated in a medium of inorganic salts and sucrose, concentrates of TF may be obtained that are active at 0.001 μgm. Per ml., heat stable and contain about 12.7% nitrogen. Acid hydrolysis yielded a number of amino acids, including glutamic acid, glycine, α–alanine, valine, leucine, proline, lysine, and arginine, as well as some unidentified compounds; however, TF does not appear to be a low molecular weight straight chain peptide.Although TF contains no iron, it combines readily with ferrous or ferric iron to form reddish-brown complexes with this metal. Activity for A. terregens is shown by certain iron containing complexes as hemin, coprogen, and ferrichrome. On the other hand none is shown by cytochrome or pulcherrimin; however, aspergillic acid, structurally related to the latter, possesses some growth promoting activity for the test organism.


1973 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 275
Author(s):  
AF Abdel ◽  
NM Abed ◽  
M Edrees

Seasonal changes were observed in the chemical composition of the marine red alga Hypnea musciformis. Lipids, cholesterol, and lanosterol were found as constituents of the algal material. No low-molecular weight carbohydrates were found except small amounts of mannitol. The algal hydrolysate was shown to contain galactose, glucose, and xylose in all seasons and was characterized by a high content of glucuronic acid and its lactone in February. Definite seasonal variations were found in the patterns of free amino acids and of amino acid compositions of proteins.


Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 165
Author(s):  
Bastian Bartling ◽  
Johanna S. Rehfeld ◽  
Daniel Boßmann ◽  
Ingo de Vries ◽  
Jörg Fohrer ◽  
...  

Polysialic acid (polySia) is a linear homopolymer of varying chain lengths that exists mostly on the outer cell membrane surface of certain bacteria, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) K1. PolySia, with an average degree of polymerization of 20 (polySia avDP20), possesses material properties that can be used for therapeutic applications to treat inflammatory neurodegenerative diseases. The fermentation of E. coli K1 enables the large-scale production of endogenous long-chain polySia (DP ≈ 130) (LC polySia), from which polySia avDP20 can be manufactured using thermal hydrolysis. To ensure adequate biopharmaceutical quality of the product, the removal of byproducts and contaminants, such as endotoxins, is essential. Recent studies have revealed that the long-term incubation in alkaline sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions reduces the endotoxin content down to 3 EU (endotoxin units) per mg, which is in the range of pharmaceutical applications. In this study, we analyzed interferences in the intramolecular structure of polySia caused by harsh NaOH treatment or thermal hydrolysis. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy revealed that neither the incubation in an alkaline solution nor the thermal hydrolysis induced any chemical modification. In addition, HPLC analysis with a preceding 1,2-diamino-4,5-methylenedioxybenzene (DMB) derivatization demonstrated that the alkaline treatment did not induce any hydrolytic effects to reduce the maximum polymer length and that the controlled thermal hydrolysis reduced the maximum chain length effectively, while cost-effective incubation in alkaline solutions had no adverse effects on LC polySia. Therefore, both methods guarantee the production of high-purity, low-molecular-weight polySia without alterations in the structure, which is a prerequisite for the submission of a marketing authorization application as a medicinal product. However, a specific synthesis of low-molecular-weight polySia with defined chain lengths is only possible to a limited extent.


Parasitology ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. Halton

SummaryAn in vitro investigation has been made of the relative roles of the gut and tegument in the absorption of the neutral amino acids L-alanine and L-leucine by a marine fish-gill parasite, Diclidophora merlangi. The use of ligatures to preclude oral ingestion of trace-labelled medium has proved inadequate, invariably damaging the tegument, as revealed by stereoscan electron microscopy, and resulting in artifactual levels of absorption. Three alternative procedures have given consistently reliable data on the route of entry of low molecular weight substrates. (1) Ultrastructural examination of worms previously incubated in electron-dense cationic tracers has shown that, in vitro, there is no oral intake of sea water. (2) The suspending of worms in trace-labelled medium with the mouth out of the medium and comparing amino acid uptake with that of worms totally immersed in medium has revealed no statistically significant difference in the absorption levels. (3) Application of section (freeze-dried) auto-radiography to detect diffusible isotope has demonstrated directly transtegumental absorption of a neutral amino acid. It is concluded from these experiments that Diclidophora has a tegumental transport system for absorbing certain neutral amino acids, and whilst, clearly, the worm is sanguinivorous and digests blood in a well-developed gut, it may also be capable of supplementing this diet with low molecular weight organic nutrient absorbed directly from sea water via the tegument.


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